The Couch?! takes a sickie
The Couch?! team wants to know why employees take sickies. According to a recent BUPA survey, one in five workers has made up an excuse to take a day off work and only 29% of managers always believe that staff who call in sick are genuinely ill. Why would they be so suspicious? The research […]
Editor’s Comment: Will the last one out please turn off the lights?
Dodging criticisms of his leadership while ricocheting between various insults, Charles Kennedy leader of the Liberal Democrat party, for now, has expended most of his energy in pursuit of survival; Editor’s Comment examines why it is that hierarchy rather than shared-responsibility persists in being our answer to structure. We’d forgive the man for heading straight […]
Colborn’s Corner: The truth about work/life balance
This week Quentin Colborn puts the work/life balance argument in the spotlight and debates the case for whether the government may indeed have had the last laugh. Few weeks go by without either a comment from the mainstream or HR press about work/life balance. The accepted wisdom is that there needs to be a good […]
What’s the answer? Van driver regulations
This week Kate Gazzard, solicitor at Clarkslegal LLP and Stephanie Wooton, employment law expert at Browne Jacobson present their ideas on the considerations of employing a van driver. The question:We are about to employ a full time van driver for the first time. Is anyone able to help me with regulations for this post please? […]
HR Practitioner’s Diary: Put up and shut up?
Sometimes the HR roller coaster leaves you breathless, it’s what I love about the profession – it’s never boring and the variety is just mind boggling. Sometimes it makes you want to cry; occasionally scream and then things happen which present a smile or a wonderful rib-aching laugh. W/C: 12 September 2005Think of the last […]
Review: Mastering change
Title: Mastering change Editor: Unknown – Unbound review copyPublisher: BBC BooksISBN: Unknown – Unbound review copyPrice: £6.99Reviewer: Claudine McClean Mastering Change contains real life lessons from real business leaders. It doesn’t work as a manual, telling you how to identify the changes needed, nor how to implement or embed them. Instead it guides you through […]
Figuring things out: Help – I’m the new HR Director, now what?
<img src="/files/siftmedia-photolib/photo_joe.jpg" You’ve made it. Your dream has been realised, you’re in a senior HR role with a seemingly dynamic company that will provide challenges, working with a CEO that gives every indication of listening and being on your side. And then the realisation of what you’ve taken on really hits home. A friend of […]
The hybrid career: Sabbatical stories
Once a novel concept employed only by activists and social workers, taking a sabbatical in the developing world has now found its way to the forefront of business; Sue Rice, Accenture’s Head of HR, UK and Ireland explains. As employers seek the latest and most appealing choices to add to their benefits packages, the trend […]
Opinion: Juggling HR ‘hats’ can end in tears
You probably overlooked it in the job specification, perhaps it was there in the small print but whether or not you need a magnifying glass to find it under list of responsibilities there’s no denying that events planning is becoming a growing burden for the HR professional whose lap it often lands up in. The […]
Member wire #117 – HR, Personnel or People Department?
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 117 20 September 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. What’s in a name? HR, Personnel or People department? 2. What’s the answer? TUPE transfers 3. News in Brief: The week in HR – Brown commits to skills 4. The Couch?! Gets incentivised […]
CSR and beyond: Playing fair with investors cash?
In this series we have considered corporate responsibility towards stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers, the community and environment. But we have not discussed corporate responsibility in relation to shareholders. The idea that shareholders should be included in the corporate responsibility debate might seem strange to some people. But it only takes a moments reflection to […]
Payroll Tip: Handling payments in weeks 53, 54 and 56
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q:Why are there 53 paydays this year and how do we handle the payments? A: A year has 365 days or, in a leap year, 366 days. That means that there are 52 […]
Extracts of a Life Coach: Learning to listen
Listening. It’s a doddle. I’ve done it all my life, haven’t I? Well that’s what I thought, until I entered coach school and what I learned has managed to transform all my relationships; in this second article in a new series, fledgling life coach Emma Ranson Bellamy learns that talking is only one aspect of […]
How Did I Get Here? Graham Josephs, HR Director, Historic Royal Palaces
History, ghosts and tourists is just part and parcel of life for Graham Josephs, HR Director at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), the Charitable Trust with responsibility for HM Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace and the Banqueting House Whitehall and Kensington; here’s his story. 1. How strategic is your current role, and what […]
Feature: The secrets of engaging employees
Having employees who are thoroughly motivated and truly engaged with what they are doing is the “holy grail” for many organisations. Dr Charles Woodruffe explains why, and offers advice on how to achieve this ideal condition. Engaging employees is important whatever the potential of the employee, but it is especially crucial for truly talented people […]
The Couch?! Gets incentivised
The Couch?! loves a freebie. Whether it’s the try-before-you-buy at the local deli or hostelry or a buy one get one free offer (BOGOF) that leaves the cupboards groaning, we just can’t resist something for nothing. In fact, a quick scan around the Couch?! desk shows not a pen, coaster, mousemat or sticky note without […]
Editor’s Comment: Did Adam and Eve have a point?
Playing Russian roulette with those pesky biological clocks is the latest gambling fad to grip superwomen who’d happily trade a buggy for a seat in the boardroom; Editor’s Comment looks at whether career-hungry ladies are really having their cake and eating it. Madonna did it at 42, Liz Hurley at 36 and Cherie Blair at […]
News in Brief: The week in HR – Brown commits to skills
Catch up on the week in HR with our at-a-glance news round up including the Chancellor’s commitment to skills, the homesick UK workers and why one in three major reorganisations fails. W/C 12/09/05Brown spells out commitment to skillsChancellor Gordon Brown reiterated his vision for a high-skills Britain, this week. Speaking at the TUC Conference in […]
HR Practitioner’s Diary: Much ado in Walford
Jealousy, petty rivalries, crass comments, public fights; Sue Kingston is really in the thick of it this week trying to keep Cupid in its rightful place while dodging some untoward washroom talk. W/C: 5 September 2005It looks like we’re enjoying an extended summer which is great and an opportunity to enjoy the last of the […]
Review: Assessment and Development Centres
Title: Assessment and Development Centres – 2nd EditionAuthor: Iain Ballantyne and Nigel PovahPublisher: Gower Publishing LtdISBN: 0 566 08599 2Price: Not knownThe first edition of Assessment and Development Centres was published in 1995. Not a long time in terms of progress per se but significant when we think about technology and its impact on almost […]
